A Curious Mystery
by Shikuro-kun
Summary: Continuation to Midnight. After last night's encounter, Mio has no recollection of the incident. A masquerade takes place the next day, and a charming mystery man appears! Mio x Ritsu
1. Chapter 1: Dal Niente

This is actually a continuation to Midnight. The romance and mature content is definitely toned down a lot, although i'm sure it'll be more interesting that way. Definitely multi-chaptered - probably 5?

Disclaimer: K ON characters do not belong to me.

- original characters my be added to create suspense, etc.

Warning: May contain suggested themes. Yuri implied

- Notice: storyline and settings may deviate from original manga/anime

* * *

The morning's sunlit rays flashed across the white room, until it eventually concentrated on Mio's pale face.

"Mmm..." She winced and turned her head to the other side checking the time.

9:28 A.M

She blinked once, then twice.

"Oh no! I'm going to be late!" Apparently, she had a morning class at 9:30, which she would be considered tardy.

She tossed the bedsheets off of her than bolted towards her door. But before opening it, she could smell something burning from the other side...

"R-Ritsu?!"

She quickly turned the knob, and to her surprise saw that there was no fire. Her childhood friend Ritsu was preparing what seemed to be breakfast. Bacon and eggs were set for each of them. The burnt smell was emanating from the bread the brunette left in the toaster.

"Oh, you're awake!..hehe.." Ritsu scratched her head as she brought the toast to the table- they were charred black.

Mio sighed in relief and took a seat across from Ritsu. She did a better job this time around. The scrambled eggs weren't as squishy compared to before and the bacon wasn't undercooked. She glanced at the toast and took one.

Ritsu looked at Mio with a focused stare waiting for the verdict.

Mio took her knife, slowly scraping off the burnt areas before spreading some butter onto it. She then took her fork and took a bite of her eggs and bacon.

"...So?..." Ritsu leaned even closer waiting with anticipation.

"Hmm...it's better than the one before..."

"Phew!" Ritsu leaned back on her chair and sighed with relief.

"..But what did you do to the toast?"

"Oh, uh...I-I was thinking about something." The drummer looked away with a little blush on her face.

'Figures' Mio thought as she continued her meal. "What were you thinking about?"

"Uh..." 'Last night' she thought to herself. "...Tonight's dance!" She finished.

"Oh yeah. We've got that masquerade dance."Mio spoke before she took a sip of water from her cup.

'She doesn't remember...good' Ritsu's heart rate decreased gradually."Yeah, we're performing a number or two with Yui and Mugi." She poked at her egg before taking a bite.

"Mmhmm.." Mio recalled before finishing her bacon.

"Are you going with anyone Mio? I mean, did anyone ask you as their date?" Ritsu chided. 'Of course someone did, you idiot.' She looked down as her subconscience told her so.

"...Hmm..yes." Mio took another sip of water.

Ritsu slumped down as her heart sank.

"He's this guy from our english class, Rei Naoe."

'Oh that guy...' Ritsu mentally pictured the boy. He had brown nicely trimmed hair, usually wore a t shirt, cardigan and jeans - nothing that deviated from the norm.'..But still, why him Mio?'

"He asked me two weeks ago." She continued.

"And you didn't tell me?" Ritsu looked down at her toast as a sad expression consumed her face.

"I didn't think it was that important. Sorry Ritsu." She reached out to touch her hand with an apologetic look.

"It's fine Mio, don't worry about it." Ritsu projected a fake smile to appease her best friend.

Just as Mio finished her meal she realized that she still had a class to attend. She quickly brushed the crumbs from her mouth with her napkin and bolted for her room.

Ritsu propped her elbows on the table watching Mio panic.

A minute later The raven haired girl was dressed with a jacket and sweats. 'She rarely wears that.' Ritsu thought.

"Thanks for the breakfast!" Mio ran across the room to grab her keys before slamming the door shut.

"You're welcome." Ritsu spoke softy in silence. Seconds passed before she remembered to tell Mio something important. "Haha, I forgot to tell her that today's classes were canceled." She scratched her head in embarassment before taking another look at her unfinished meal.

* * *

"Rei Naoe huh." She placed her signature yellow headband on her desk before falling back against her unruly bed. "What's so great about him?" Ritsu adjusted her arms behind her head while looking at the blank ceiling.

She mentally recalled what she could about the boy. He was pretty tall, light skinned with brown hair, and smart. Rei usually did well academic-wise and was always in the top 5 of their class. Not to mention he was a lady's man. So i guess he qualifies as good looking right?

Her heart tightened at the thought of him. She let out a puff towards er hair feeling her bangs float before crashing down against her forehead.

"Ugh!" She cried in frustration. 'At least Mio's not here to see me this way.'

Ritsu closed her eyes for a few minutes taking it all in. Just as she thought all was hopeless, an idea lit up in her mind.

She rushed towards her closet checking a particular item. It was a black mask, although there were two to be exact. Both were dark as night completely un-identical. One was engraved elegantly with silver the other in gold. When Yui, Mugi, and Mio went out to buy their dresses and accessories, Ritsu couldn't decide on either of them and decided to purchase the other in secrecy.

She decided to go with the gold trimmed mask since that was what she showed to her friends.'Hmm...Will it work though?'

The brunette approached her mirror taking a good look at herself. Ritsu placed the silver lined mask against her face as she used her right hand to lift her unruly bangs over it. 'Not too shabby.' She grinned. The drummer was unrecognizable. 'I'd make a pretty good looking guy.' Then she struck a quick pose.

"Hahaha!" she let out with laughter, her voice booming from the apartment.

She removed the mask taking a good look at herself in the mirror. Her hair had grown an inch longer. 'I need a haircut.' She noted to herself. Ritsu hadn't grown much anywhere else, except her height? 'Wait did I?...'

She ran to the side of her door quickly grabbing a pen before checking her measurement. The drummer drew a line atop her head before looking back to check.

Two inches. She had grown not one, but two inches. Ritsu was the same height as her best friend Mio.

"Yahoo!" Ritsu jumped with joy as she mentally high-fived herself a hundred times.

The achievement was short lived when she heard the doorbell go off.

Ritsu immediately stopped and stashed the masks into her secretive treasure box.

The drummer donned her yellow headband as she hurried to check who was at the door.

It was her friend Mugi.

She opened the door with a bright smile as she unlocked the door.

"Hi Mugi!"

"Goodmorning Ritsu!"

They both embraced and Ritsu ushered her to come inside.

"Actually, I just dropped by to leave you and Mio some sweets. It's so you'll have the energy for the performance later tonight." She happily handed the bag.

"Oh yeah? Haha, that's so sweet of you Mugi. Thanks." Ritsu accepted the bag and placed it on the table.

They both sat across from each other as they continued their conversation.

"By the way, where's Mio?" The blonde haired girl peered around the room for her friend.

"Uh..about that. She...went to class." She turned her head to the side and scratched her hair with one finger.

"But we don't have class today..." Mugi spoke looking straight at the drummer.

"I-I forgot to tell her. It was an honest mistake." Ritsu's cheeks reddened with shame.

"Silly Ritsu!" Mugi covered her mouth with her hand as she chuckled.

They continued conversing about their dates, to which they both didn't have.

"A-actually I was wondering If you could help me with something." Ritsu confided to Mugi. "It has to be a secret though."

"Sure." Mugi nodded with a smile as she looked at her friend.

Ritsu got up to retrieve the mask from her closet and placed it on the table.

* * *

Reviews are welcome!

Thanks for reading

Hopefully i can get chapter 2 done by the end of the day...


	2. Chapter 2: Pianoforte

Well, this is much shorter than I expected. I'm really liking how the story is progressing though. This could potentially be one of my favorite chapters.

- Disclaimer: K ON characters do not belong to me.

* original characters may be added for suspense, etc.

- Warning: may include suggested themes. Yuri implied

Enjoy!

* * *

" Hmmm..." Mugi mumbled as she deeply thought about Ritsu's situation.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"So basically you're jealous!" The blonde girl proclaimed.

"N-no. I'm not..i'm just...uh..worried. Yeah, that's it worried!" Ritsu told herself proudly.

"Mhmm..." Mugi looked directly at Ritsu's amber eyes.

"...Fine. I guess I am a little jealous.." Ritsu said sheepishly.

"Good! That's the first part to finding happiness. You have to realize your true feelings." She clapped her hands together.

"Ok..."

"Next, you have to express how you feel about her. Do you like her, love her?"

"Of course I love her..."

"But do you love her love her?" Mugi pried.

"...I don't know. I guess.."

"Hmm..."

'This is so weird, why do I feel this way?' Ritsu put her head down against the table reflecting on her predicament.

"Would it be weird if I did love Mio? I mean, you know, more than a friend?"

"Well...it isn't normal, but love is love."

Mugi put some thought into it. "You can't stop two people who feel that way about each other."

Ritsu sighed as her mind was consumed in a state of confusion.

"Can you dance?" Mugi asked breaking the silence.

"Of course."

"I'm sorry, let me rephrase that. Do you know how to slow dance?"

"Uh...no?"

"Ok!" Mugi stood up quickly. "Then we'll have to do something about that." She said cheerily.

Ritsu slid off her chair standing beside Mugi. They decided to practice in Ritsu's room since it was very spacious.

Mugi positioned herself in front of Ritsu. She smiled at the drummer before instructing her what to do next.

"Okay Ritsu, in your scenario you have to take the lead. So you have to ask me to dance."

"May I have this dance Mugi?" The brunette asked nonchalantly.

"Yes, you may." Mugi lightly blushed.

"Now take my left hand into yours and place your right hand to the back of my spine between my shoulders."

Ritsu obediently did as she was told as Mugi placed her left hand on her shoulder. She realizied that her body was pressed closer to Mugi's. Her face flushed naturally as she looked into the pianist's eyes.

"Good. Now comes the difficult part." Mugi giggled lightly. "You're going to move your right foot forward while I move mine back. Take note that you are the leader and I am the follower."

Ritsu proceeded with ease with the first few steps.

"Great. Now you're going to glide across floor moving with your right foot first before the left."

The drummer shifted her feet as she was instructed slowly moving along before quickening her pace. Although, she did ocassionally step on Mugi's feet, in which the blonde girl winced briefly before promptly masking it with a smile.

"Let's try it with some music this time." Mugi connected her ipod to Ritsu's stereo as she selected a song.

Ritsu took her stance looking into Mugi's eyes with fiery determination.

As soon as the music started she moved to its tempo with the utmost elegance and precision. She could feel a slight trace of sweat on her forehead as she concentrated on her movements. Looking into Mugi's eyes she blinked once surprised to see Mio in the pianists position. Nonetheless, she continued her dance holding her friend's hand firmly while pulling Mio's body closer.

She slowly slid her right hand lower until it reached the midline of her spine. This enabled Ritsu to close the gap between the two as she grinned slyly looking into those familiar stormy eyes. 'You don't know just how beautiful you are Mio.'

Mio looked up at Ritsu, her long silky hair flowing freely as the brunette spun her around before pulling her close again. Her eyes focused on the illuminated amber hue in front of her.

Ritsu was so focused that she eventually took a misstep causing her to trip onto Mio. Luckily she steeled herself before falling and pressed her hands on the ground. She blushed beet red when she realized Mio's face was between her hands. Her heart rate quickened as she felt her blood rush to her extremities.

Mio looked up at Ritsu, observing her lengthy bangs hovering over face. She swallowed hard preparing herself for what would happen next.

Ritsu examined Mio's soft lips resisting the temptation to press hers against them. She knew deep inside her soul that she couldn't. 'Do it' her subconscience stated.

Her body moved on its own as she shut her eyes inching closer, her hair gently brushing Mio's face.

Mio quickly placed her index finger between their lips.

Astonished by the sudden motion, Ritsu opened her eyes surprised to see that Mugi had replaced Mio.

"That's enough for today." Mugi said as she gave a nervous smile.

* * *

...See what I did there? Haha.

I expect to have chapter 3 finished by tomorrow.

Reviews are greatly appreciated and welcome!

Thanks for reading


	3. Chapter 3: Fortissimo Piano

I think I can see the ending...well maybe not so much. There still seems to be more to the story. Here's a chapter from Mio's perspective.

Enjoy

- Disclaimer: K ON characters do not belong to me.

* original characters may be added to create suspense, etc.

- Warning: May contain suggested themes. Yuri implied.

* * *

Mio hurried as she ran towards her class, her footsteps echoing along the hallway.

She panted heavily before opening the door.

"I'm sorry i'm late!" Mio bowed her head immediately.

"Oh, Mio. Good morning." Her college professor greeted her.

He finished writing a few notes on the whiteboard before approaching the exhausted bassist.

To his surprise her head was still facing downwards in a shameful bow.

"So what brings you here? Did you have a question regarding the class assignment?"

She slowly lifted her head, flustered and confused.

"N-No. Isn't there class today?" Mio looked around the room - it was empty. Embarassed, she tilted her head downwards as her choppy bangs covered her eyes.

Her professor let out a sigh. "They announced early this morning that class was canceled." He capped the marker in his hand. "...But don't worry, you weren't the only one who showed up, Rei did as well."

'Rei?' She thought before looking up.

Mio quickly wiped the tears from her eyes, happy to hear that her perfect attendance would not be discredited.

"So...I guess you have the whole day off." Her teacher said happily.

"T-Thank you, Mr. Tachibana." She replied before bowing her head in respect.

Mio exited the class not sure what to do next. One thing was certain for sure she thought. 'Ritsu, you're going to get it this time! A hundred whacks to the head.'

She took a glance across the hallway. It was completely empty. Mio advanced toward the glass window observing a few students walk across the campus.

'Yui and Mugi' her mind spoke. 'I should visit them since they dorm here.'

She tightened her grip on her bag as she hurried down the stairs.

* * *

It took 5 minutes for her to navigate to Mugi and Yui's dorm. Mio listened as she heard students walking around idly chatting about the school dance tonight. She knocked twice on the door.

No response.

She knocked again, this time louder.

No response.

'I guess they're not here.' Mio assumed. She turned back prepared to leave until she saw a familiar face.

The young girl had jet black hair neatly aranged in a pair of pigtails. Her hair blew across the wind revealing its true length. She looked around until the breeze blew even harder causing her eyes to instinctively close.

'Azusa?' Mio thought.

"Azusa!" She yelled as the bassist ran to accompany her lost friend.

"Mio-senpai?" Azusa opened one eye to see her musically talented idol.

"Azusa, it is you!" Mio wrapped her arms around the significantly small girl. "Were you lost?" She asked with curiousity.

"Yeah, a little. The campus is much bigger than our high school." The guitarist smiled.

Without further warning a strong gust of wind picked up briefly lifting Azusa's skirt to float.

"Ah!" She yelped as she covered what she could.

Some boys nearby stopped in their tracks to see what was going on.

Mio noticed and gave them an icy stare.

They turned their head to the side and continued walking.

"Maybe we should talk somewhere else." Mio gestured toward the dormitory building.

Azusa nodded and followed behind Mio's shadow hoping no one saw her undergarments.

* * *

The two sat at the dormitory's lobby sharing nostalgic stories from past events.

Mio smiled as she noticed that Azusa hadn't changed at all. She was still the hardworking little musician she knew.

"So you were going to check up on Yui-senpai and Mugi-senpai before practice?" Azusa asked.

"Yes, I was." Mio gave Azusa a faint smile.

"But no one seems to be there?" Azusa continued.

"Yes."

Azusa exhaled deeply. She knew Yui better than anyone else. She crossed her arms around her chest and deduced that her senpai was in a deep slumber.

"Let's check again Mio-senpai." She urged her idol and looked up at the clock. "It's already 10 A.M."

With that, both girls stood up and walked towards Yui's dorm.

* * *

Azusa knocked three consecutive times against the door.

No response.

Slightly irritated, Azusa knocked on the door louder than Mio's previous attempt.

The door opened with Yui's head popping out, her drowsy eyes focusing on the two hazy figures.

"Whaaat?" She whined in a high pitched tone. Yui slowly rubbed her eye and saw Mio and Azusa before her.

She blinked.

"Azu-nyan!" She exclaimed and hugged her protege with all the strength she could muster.

"Yui-senpai...my lungs!" She yelled as the guitarists grip tightened.

"I missed you so much!" Yui yelled and rubbed her head against Azusa's.

"M-Me...too." Azusa spoke between gasps.

Mio noticed that people started staring at them.

"Let's go inside you two." The bassist suggested and guided both into the room.

* * *

"So you're here as Yui's date?" Mio restated.

"Unfortunately, yes." Azusa looked at Yui.

"Unfortunately?" The brown haired girl questioned as her cheeks puffed looking at the other guitarist.

Azusa nodded in contempt.

"I'm here to support your performance as well." She notified Mio. "Although, I wish I could play on stage with you four again." She looked down, her eyes starting to water.

"Oh Azu-nyan, you could play with us anytime!" Yui implied. "We can have those lessons when it was just you and me playing Gitah all day." She hugged her friend with sympathy.

"Y-Yeah..." Azusa spoke softly as she sniffed.

'Poor Azusa' Mio thought. She didn't like the fact that everyone had left her to attend college, while she was alone in highschool.

"You can come over anytime!" Yui spoke trying to comfort Azusa.

'The train ride though.' Mio thought. 'It's a pretty long trip.'

"Well anyways, we need to know which song we're performing in order." The bassist boldly spoke, breaking the saddened mood.

"Yeah!" Yui threw her arms in the air.

Azusa smiled.

"Wait, which song are we doing first?" Yui tilted her head.

Azusa face palmed herself while Mio looked at the two with an amused look.

* * *

"So we'll go with that." Mio finalized.

"Mhmm." Yui nodded her head in agreement.

Azusa looked at them both with a genuine smile.

"I should go now, I have other things to attend to. So i'll see you at 3 o' clock for rehearsal Yui." Mio said collecting her personal belongings off the ground.

She checked her phone

12:00 P.M

"Oh, and don't be late!" She reminded her as she left.

"Right!" Yui replied before tackling Azusa as the door closed.

Mio walked out of the building carefully examining the other student's activities.

Two girls walked beside each other talking while carrying props for the dance. They were followed shortly by two boys who were struggling to transport a huge pillar.

Mio shifted her gaze and spotted a crowd huddled in a circle as music enveloped the area. She watched a young boy do a 360 degree head spin as the spectators roared in excitement.

She smiled and looked up at the clear blue sky, the sun's rays projecting against her eyes. Temporarily blinded, she rubbed her eye attempting to regain her vision. She focused her sight on a boy and girl who were kissing.

She blushed instantly and power walked across the quad until she safely reached the stoplight.

It blinked red.

Rei was sitting on a bench nearby and looked up from his phone spotting the raven haired girl.

"Mio!" Rei waved to her.

Mio looked around to see the brown haired boy.

"H-Hi Rei."

"What are you doing here?" He asked curiously.

"I thought there was class..." Mio spoke breaking her eye contact with the boy.

Rei laughed a little. "Me too!" He continue laughing.

Mio giggled lightly.

"So.." He shifted his voice to a serious yet gentle tone. "Do you want to eat lunch with me?" He gestured to the eateries down the street.

Mio hesitated before answering. She remembered promising Ritsu two days ago that they would eat together before rehearsal. She looked back at the tall boy who was patiently waiting for a response.

"O-Ok." She replied.

He smiled and started walking down the street with her by his side. Rei started talking about his friends and the silly stuff they do after class. He laughed as Mio slowly tuned him out.

She looked back at the stoplight and thought to herself, 'Sorry Ritsu.'

* * *

- Replies:

Yukina-Tenma: updates shouldn't take that long. I'll try to post 1 chapter in a day. Thanks for the review.

Guest: it's been so long since i've revisited K ON. Probably 2-3 years. I don't really expect to remember all the little details that happened. I can only do my best to portray a good and acceptable story to my readers.

Keeper Aki: thanks much! I can relate, i've had my fair share of dancing experience.

Reviews are greatly appreciated.

Thanks for reading


	4. Chapter 4: Crescendo

Hope you guys are enjoying the story so far. I certainly am. Oh, and about chapter two's clarification, well I put more depth into it for this section. Hopefully, I can conclude this before the end of the week.

Enjoy

- Disclaimer: K ON characters do not belong to me.

- Original characters may be added for suspense, etc.

- Warning: May contain suggestive themes. Yuri implied.

* * *

Tick tock

Ritsu glanced at the clock watching it strike 12. She took her phone into her own hands scrolling through pictures of her and Mio, along with other friends.

The door opened and Ritsu bolted from her seat to check who it was.

It was Mugi. She had just made a quick phone call for a few 'arangements'.

Ritsu immediately took her seat and pressed her face on the table. Her arms were quick to cover a portion of her head as she lay in deep thought.

* * *

Ritsu examined Mio's soft lips resisting the temptation to press hers against them. She knew deep inside her soul that she couldn't. 'Do it' her subconscience stated.

Her body moved on its own as she shut her eyes inching closer, her hair gently brushing Mio's face.

Mio quickly placed her index finger between their lips.

Astonished by the sudden motion, Ritsu opened her eyes surprised to see that Mugi had replaced Mio.

"That's enough for today." Mugi said as she gave a nervous smile.

Ritsu quickly retreated, her heart pounding fast as she realized what she would've done.

"I-I'm sorry Mugi." She quietly stated her head facing downwards in embarassment.

Mugi simply looked at Ritsu before taking the seat beside her on the floor. She placed her head ontop of Ritsu's shoulders.

"It's ok." Mugi replied calmly.

Ritsu looked over at Mugi's blonde hair. The light from the window sent a glow illuminating her yellowish brown strands. 'Was her hair always this pretty?' She took several deep breaths as her heart rate decreased to its normal rhythm.

"You thought she was me..." Mugi continued. "Mio"

Ritsu remained silent.

"I know how you feel Ritsu. You love her." Mugi looked up at the brunette.

She had never seen her friend so sad and distraught.

Ritsu swallowed hard listening carefully to her friend's words.

"But it's ok, I won't judge you. I'm here to support you because i'm your friend." The pianist faintly smiled at the drummer.

The brunette sat as stiff as a statue.

"We'll get through this Ritsu." Mugi leaned close as she closed her eyes and kissed her lightly on the cheek.

Ritsu looked at Mugi in surprise and saw her signature smile.

"Now come on, we've got some other things to take care of!" Mugi stood up and asked for Ritsu's hand.

The drummer let out a sigh and took it, leaving the floor.

* * *

"Ritsu" Mugi shook her friend who had fallen asleep.

"Uhh...five more minutes" Ritsu mumbled.

"The car is here." Mugi reminded her.

"..." Ritsu lazily stretched her arms before standing up.

She looked at her phone - 12:24 P.M.

New message - Mio: Sorry Ritsu I can't eat lunch with you today. Rei asked me out of the blue. Sorry!

"Let's go. " Ritsu took her bag and stormed past Mugi, walking towards the stairs.

* * *

The car ride was twenty minutes long before they arrived to one of Mugi's many houses.

As usual the architecture was exquisite. Collumns decorated the porch and the driveway was decorated as an "O".

The driver parked the vehicle and stepped out to open the door for Mugi. She was followed by Ritsu who looked around the exterior.

As they entered the house a butler appeared whispering something into Mugi's ear. She thanked him and took Ritsu's arm. They walked into the dining room with what seemed to be filet mignon.

"Let's eat." Mugi clapped her hands together as Ritsu took the seat across from her.

Ritsu quickly scarfed down the food. She was starving from skipping breakfast earlier.

Both girls thanked the chef for the meal and left the dining area. Mugi took Ritsu's hand and led her up the spiral staircase into her room.

* * *

"Wow!" Ritsu gazed in awe.

Mugi smiled at the girl's remark.

Ritsu jumped onto Mugi's king sized bed. The pianist disappeared into her walk in closet.

Shortly after, Mugi came out with a rack of suits.

Ritsu propped her head and approached it taking good look at the rack. It was organized in an array of colors and styles.

"Don't worry, they're all tailored to your size." Mugi reassured her.

"Thanks Mugi. You're the best!" Ritsu exclaimed as she hugged the pianist.

"Don't thank me just yet." She replied. Mugi walked over to several options and shoved them at Ritsu. "Try them on!" She demanded.

Ritsu gave her a grin and headed for the dressing room.

* * *

After an hour of alternating between the suits Ritsu and Mugi finally agreed on one. It was jet black and came with a blazer, vest and slacks and shiny material was of worsted wool, so it was worth a hefty sum.

Mugi adjusted Ritsu's neck tie wrapping it around the collar before folding the flaps. She concentrated on getting it right the the first time.

Ritsu looked at herself in the mirror. 'This is so silly, crossdressing. Never in my life did I think about me doing this.' Then a picture of Rei instantly popped up. She felt her blood pressure rise at the thought of the boy. 'I'm just protecting Mio.' She rationalized.

Mugi stepped back to look at her work. She smiled waiting for Ritsu's reaction.

"I look pretty good." Ritsu blurted out.

"You do..." Mugi trailed off. She blushed lightly. She suddenly remembered something important. She rushed to get Ritsu's bag. "Aha!" The pianist proclaimed, pulling out the mask.

Mugi stood before Ritsu and fixed the mask to her face. She let her unruly bangs hang and covered the elastic band with The brunette's hair.

"Perfect!" Mugi exclaimed. She happily stood beside Ritsu who looked equally satisfied.

* * *

Something must be wrong with me if i'm posting two chapters in one day.

hmm...

anyways, thanks for reading.

reviews are welcome!


	5. Chapter 5: Al Niente

Hey guys, hope you've prepared yourselves for a long read. I would've imagined it to be shorter, but that would probably ruin the content leading to the ending.

Enjoy!

- Disclaimer: K ON characters do not belong to me.

- Original characters may be added for suspense, catalyst, etc.

- Warning: May contain suggested themes.

* * *

"...And he was like I didn't do it!" Rei laughed as he finised one of his many stories.

The two decided to eat at a little diner down the street. He finished the last sip of his green tea before looking at Mio waiting for a response.

"Mhmm..." She mumbled. Mio twirled her straw between her fingers as she looked out the window watching the cars drive by.

"Hey, are you ok? Did something happen? You've been acting that way for a while now..."

"Uhm, yeah. It' nothing." She spoke softy looking into his dark brown eyes. "I'm just a little tired." Mio lied.

"Oh, really? My bad. Then you should probably get some rest." He slid off the chair and pulled out his wallet. The boy took what amount he needed and placed it on the tab.

Mio took her bag and walked out of the restaurant as Rei quickly opened the door.

Most of the walk back to her apartment was silent. He shared a couple more stories as she tried to listen attentively before tuning him out for probably the hundredth time.

They approached her door and he gave her a genuine smile.

"Thanks for walking me." Mio said. "I'll see you at seven."

"Yeah. See you at seven."Rei waved goodbye before descending the stairs.

* * *

Mio unlocked the door and entered her cozy apartment.

"Ritsu, i'm home." She set her jacket on the coat rack and looked around the quiet room. No one was there besides her.

The bassist took a seat in the couch feeling a pang of guilt cross her chest as she recalled flaking on her lunch date with the drummer. 'I shouldn't have done that.' That was all Mio could think about as she ate lunch with Rei. She felt as though Ritsu and her were growing apart slowly. They didn't really have any other classes together aside from english and math.

She slowly stood up from her seat to change into her home clothes. She now wore a pair of shorts and a t -shirt. She decided to approach Ritsu's room. Mio peeked through checking if a certain someone might pop out to scare her. She quickly opened the closet just to make sure. To her luck it was vacant. 'Phew' she was safe, for now.

Mio looked around surprised to see that it was pretty neat. A few musical magazines were scattered on her desktop, but aside from that everything else seemed to be in place.

She sat on Ritsu's bed and slowly fell back, feeling the soft mattress supporting her body. The bassist closed her eyes as she inhaled the familiar scent of her best friend.

She turned to her side and opened her eyes as she focused on a picture of her and Ritsu during their younger days.

Back then they were so free spirited, it felt like anything was possible. She mulled over what they planned to do when they got older - travel the world, meet different musicians, start a band. She smiled faintly at one of their accomplishments.

Mio realized that things are always susceptible to change - the world, plans, even people. 'I hope things don't change between us...' She trailed off as she looked at the picture and felt her eyes slowly shut.

* * *

Mio turned several times in her sleep before a warm sensation emanated from her back. She turned her body surprised to see Ritsu lying down staring at her.

"Boo!"

"..."

Mio froze with fear before quickly snapping out of it landing a hard whack on the girl's head.

"Ow!" The drummer massaged her new bump. "What was that for?"

"..." Mio sat up and looked directly at Ritsu. "That was for earlier, you forgot to tell me that class was canceled."

"...hehe, yeah. I guess I deserved that..." She gave a little laugh and sat up as well. "So, how was your little lunch date with Rei?"

"It wasn't anything special." Mio blandly spoke.

"Oh really?" Ritsu started poking the bassist's waist. "Tell me everything!"

"We just talked a bit, that's all."

"Oh come on Mio, what did he talk about specifically? Did he ask to be your boyfriend yet?" Ritsu pried.

"N-No! Why would you think that?" Mio blushed at her friend's remark.

"Because i'm pretty sure he likes you..." She sat back with her arms supporting her body.

"..."

"Well, if he did ask you, would you go out with him?" Ritsu's eyes looked down at her feet.

"...I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

Ritsu looked at Mio's long, black hair from behind.

"..." Mio looked down at the floor "I don't even know him that well yet."

"Oh, ok." Ritsu exhaled deeply.

The bassist sat up from the bed and stretched her body. Her t-shirt slowly lifted exposing a portion of her back.

Ritsu bit her lip hard as she examined what she could. Her heart skipped a beat.

Mio turned towards her friend who she noticed was blushing. "Are you ok?" She tilted her head with curiousity.

"I-I'm fine. She looked at Mio and sat upright giving her a thumbs up.

"Ok." She fixed her t-shirt and started walking out. "Get ready for practice now."

Ritsu looked at her bedside clock -

2:38 P.M. She left her bed and picked out a black jacket from her closet.

* * *

The last beat from Ritsu's drums echoed across the decorated gymnasium.

"Good job everyone." Mio turned to face her friends.

Mugi gave her a smile and Yui wiped her brow. Ritsu stood up from her seat and drank from her nearly empty water bottle.

All four girls exited the stage after placing their respective instruments in their cases.

"That was great!" Azusa greeted the performers as they left the stage.

"Thanks Azu-nyan!" Yui hugged the girl tightly.

Azusa struggled against Yui's suffocating embrace.

Mio, Mugi, and Ritsu looked at the two with amused expressions on their faces.

"Oh!" Mugi spoke aloud, "we should get ready for the dance now."

All the girls nodded in agreement. They planned to get ready together at Mio and Ritsu's apartment.

The group of girls took their belongings and left the auditorium with a look of satisfaction and excitement.

* * *

"Ouch!" Yui exclaimed as she burnt her finger with the curling iron.

"Yui-senpai!" Azusa ran to her aid and helped her with the equipment.

"You need to be more careful." She fixed her hair and twirled it properly.

"I know. I'm just really excited about the dance." She looked at herself dreamily in the mirror.

Mugi finished fixing Mio's hair and stepped back to observe her masterpiece.

Her dark colored hair was twirled neatly as it fell on her chest.

"It looks great!" Mio happily thanked the pianist.

Ritsu stepped out of the shower as her hand rummaged her hair with a towel.

"What do you think Ritsu?" Mugi asked her friend with a smile.

The drummer stopped in her tracks and took a glance at her best friend who looked even more beautiful tonight.

"Y-You look..." 'Beautiful', "pretty." She managed.

"Thanks." Mio smiled back at Ritsu. Mugi carefully watched teir reactions before turning to her dress.

Ritsu quickly disappeared into her room. She leaned back against her door her heart beat skyrocketing against her chest. 'Control yourself.' She mentally noted and took deep breaths before continuing to dry off her hair.

* * *

It was almost seven when all of the girls were ready.

Mio wore a white dress, Mugi in navy blue, Yui in crimson, Azusa in pink and Ritsu in traditional black.

They all tried to fix any flaws in their hair before deciding to leave the apartment.

Ding. Dong.

"I'll get it." Ritsu stood up as the other girls continued to fix their dresses and hair.

She opened the door and saw a brown haired masked man standing before her. He was wearing a white blazer with a black dress shirt and tie. He lifted his white mask revealing himself to be Rei Naoe.

"Hi Ritsu." He said with a smile.

Ritsu looked at him before responding. She could tell he was holding something for Mio, it was probably a flower.

"Hi." She finally said her arms crossed around her chest.

"Is Mio ready yet?" He looked eagerly at the shorter girl.

"Yeah. Give me a minute." She turned her back and yelled for her friend.

Mio hurried to the door with her mask in hand and coat.

"Hello Rei." She said with a cheery smile.

"Hi Mio. You look beautiful." He paused before giving her the red rose. "This is for you."

"Thanks." She blushed and accepted the flower. She took a whiff of its scent before continuing. "You look pretty handsome as well."

Ritsu turned away to stick out her tongue. 'Yuck'

"Shall we?" He gestured to the stairs.

She nodded and notified her friends. "Bye you guys, see you at the dance."

Ritsu moved towards the door and watched the two disappear down the stairs.

Mugi lightly patted her on the shoulder signalling her that they were ready to leave as well.

* * *

The gymnasium was packed with students as the girls finally managed their way out of the line and into the room. They spotted a few of their unmasked classmates and chatted with them before each taking a seat at a vacant table.

"This is so cool!" Yui looked around the lively room.

"Indeed." Mugi said as she smiled.

Azusa was still overwhelmed by the decorations. There was a chandelier, bright lights, and a chocolate fountain on the other side where snacks and beverages were offered. She figured that the school might've fundraised a lot to pull this off.

"I'm going to get us some drinks." Ritsu said as she pointed to the punch bowl.

"I'll come with." Mugi suggested.

Both of the girls stood up and made their way to the refreshments.

"Let's go dance!" Yui told Azusa as she whisked the guitarist towards the dance floor.

"S-Senpai!" Azusa yelled as she vanished into the crowd of people with her friend.

* * *

Mio looked around the dance floor as she sat with a group of Rei's friends and their dates.

He came back with two cups in his hands, which he placed on the table.

"Want to dance?" He spoke into her ear as she blushed.

"Sure." She took his hand as he led her to the center of the dance floor.

* * *

The music echoed around the room as Ritsu finished pouring her last cup with fruit punch.

She walked back with Mugi and noticed that Yui and Azusa had already left their seats.

The brunette took a sip of her drink as she sat down. She took off her black mask before she scanned the dance floor looking for her best friend.

It took her a few minutes to spot the familiar white dress and long black hair.

Mio moved her body as she danced with Rei. He was keeping his distance for now. Ritsu focused on the two unblinking until Mugi whispered something into her ear. She nodded and looked at the time on her phone, it looks like they were going to perform in a few minutes.

* * *

A young woman walked across the stage and approached the microphone. The dj instantly decreased the sound of his music. She touched it gently sending a disruptive jarring noise from the speakers. The students covered their ears instinctively.

"Sorry about that. Can we please have the band members of Ho-Kago Tea Time enter backstage. Thank you."

The woman walked down and the dj increased the music's volume.

Shorty after the four girls gathered together and reviewed their song list backstage. It took a couple of minutes for them to tune their guitars and warm up their vocals.

They all entered the stage as the curtains remained closed. Ritsu took her seat on the drums, Mugi stood behind her keyboard, Yui adjusted her microphone and guitar while Mio took center stage.

They all looked at each other with a smile before the curtains parted.

The audience roared in excitement as a masked Ritsu beat her drum sticks together beginning the song.

Azusa watched in amazement as her friends played and sang even better than their rehearsal. She smiled and cheered as loud as the other students.

* * *

Mio stepped back as she finished the last song. The other girls seemed pretty exhausted as well.

"Give it up for Ho-Kago Tea Time everyone." A new masked emcee came out from the side of the stage as he thanked Mio and the band members behind her. The curtains closed and the girls assembled together.

"Phew." Yui blurted out.

The girls laughed and patted each other with a 'job well done'.

They fixed their instruments into their cases and walked out to the auditorium to continue dancing.

Rei met Mio and Yui quickly ran to Azusa.

Mugi and Ritsu were left standing together. "Come on," the pianist said looking at the brunette. "we have to prepare you for your mysterious debut!"

Ritsu's eyes widened through her mask as Mugi pulled her hand rushing out of the auditorium.

* * *

Mugi styled the edge of Ritsu's hair with a bit of wax. It definitely gave off a sharper appearance.

"Almost finished..." She fixed her tie and turned the brunette facing the mirror.

Ritsu took the eleganty lined mask covering a portion of her face. She couldn't even recognize herself.

"Ready?" Mugi asked looking at the time.

"Yeah." The drummer replied as she left Mugi's dorm.

* * *

Yui and Azusa stepped out of the auditorium to take a quick breather. The temperature inside had increased since more students decided to dance.

Azusa crossed her arms as the cold breeze caused her to shiver. She shifted her gaze from her senpai to two figures walking towards the hallway. The guitarist squinted her eyes focusing on the unmasked girl, it was Mugi. She was about to shout her name until she noticed the blonde-haired girl walking with a masked boy.

"Yui-senpai" she alerted her friend and pointed towards the two.

"Ooh!" Yui spoke in amazement.

"Sshhh!" Azusa covered her mouth as they both hid behind a pillar. The little girl poked her head out followed by her elder.

Mugi spoke to the boy with ease. He seemed to be a close friend as he ocassionally made her laugh and smile ever so often.

"Who is that?" Yui asked curiously.

"Maybe he's her boyfriend?" Azusa replied.

"But she never told us anything about that..."

"Secret boyfriend?" Azusa implied.

"Ohhhh.." Yui said loudly.

The boy quickly turned in their direction. Mugi looked as well. Azusa and Yui worked fast to conceal themselves behind the pillar once more.

The boy continued to speak to Mugi as they approached the front of the auditorium. She fixed his tie before lifting his bangs and tip toeing to kiss his forehead for good luck. He entered before she shortly followed after two minutes.

"Secret boyfriend!" The two concluded in unison.

* * *

Mio had been sitting down quietly at her table as she watched Rei dance with his other friends. She looked around for Ritsu and Mugi wondering where they had gone.

The bassist took her time observing the increased vacancies at the tables. Nearly everyone was one the floor dancing the night away.

Mio propped her elbow and leaned her head against her hand shifting her eyesight to the entrance of the auditorium. A masked boy about her height had entered. He donned a jet black suit and mask with silver trimmings. His hair was a dark shade of brown with the lighting. His bangs were unruly, although it matched his face and haircut. It looked like he didn't bring a date. She noticed a few girls sitting at the other table eyeing him. Mio admitted that there was something about his aura that felt, different.

He looked around before his gaze met hers. She quickly looked away and focused on her plastic cup. He approached her and offered his hand. Mio looked up at him and saw a grin form around his face. She blushed and looked back at Rei. He seemed preoccupied dancing with some other girls. The boy looked in her direction and gestured his hand again. She gladly took it as he led her to the center of the dance floor.

As if by chance, the dj started playing a slow song. He took his stance placing his right hand on the small of her back. The boy looked deeply into her stormy eyes. He drew her close before spinning her freely. Mio's silky hair flowed as he brought her back and gave her a coy grin.

'Why does that grin seem so familiar..'she thought before he shifted his feet and guided her along the dance floor.

The song was coming to a close as he gently pulled her closer sensing her breath against his. He had a fiery look in his eyes as he tilted his head toward hers. She blushed instantly and closed her eyes for what she thought would be a kiss. He leaned closer but opened his eyes to see Rei staring intently at both of them.

'I didn't come here to start a fight.' Ritsu thought as she genty kissed Mio on her cheek. 'So this will do...for now.'

Surprised and disappointed, Mio opened her eyes as she felt the boy's grip loosen before he started walking away.

From Rei's point of view it looked like the boy gave her a genuine kiss on the lips. He started walking towards Mio before she moved to follow the boy. He stopped in his tracks and watched her from a distance.

Some boys and girls crowded the entrance. Mio struggled to move past them to catch up with the mysterious boy. When she had finally gotten through she spotted several guys in a black but none of them looked like the same boy she had danced with.

She walked farther from the auditorium until she saw a black mask with the same silver lining lying on the floor. It was identical to what the boy had worn. Mio curiously picked it up dusting some particles off as she turned to check if he was anywhere in sight.

She leaned her back by a nearby collumn as she slowly traced her fingers along the mask. She let out a small sigh and looked up at the luminous full moon.

Thirty feet away stood Ritsu hiding behind a little shed.'That was close.' She mentally told herself. The brunette looked back and noticed how close the distance between them was. 'too close.' She finished.

* * *

So that concludes "A Curious Mystery" hope you guys enjoyed it. I was pretty convinced I would write myself into a corner, good thing I didn't. I've already got several ideas for the next story...here's to hoping it'll be even better!

Reviews are greatly appreciated.

Thanks for reading


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